Have ukulele will travel— or just go to CASA for the monthly ukulele jams.
Mary-Anne McTrowe has brought back monthly ukulele jams in their new location as a pleasant way to spend a laid back, no pressure afternoon strumming and singing.
“Dave Hoffas and I started them back in 2006 and we all met for almost two years, but it faded off,” said Mary-Anne McTrowe, adding they brought them back in November every couple of months, but they turned out to be so popular that she decided them to hold them every month.
The next ukulele jams are April 12, May 10 and June 14.
“ There’s been a lot of interest. It’s been working pretty well. it has been a whole since their was a ukulele group in Lethbridge,” she said adding there was a resurgence in interest in ukuleles in the late ’90s.
“But it’s really picked up in the last 10 years,” she observed.
“We really support people of different abilities,” she said adding the group chooses what to play together.
“ If someone wants to play something else, we’ll try it. It’s totally informal. Though someday we’d like to have a songbook of sings we can play,” she continued.
“ We’ll learn to play traditional folk songs or country or contemporary pop and rock songs,” she said.
The noted they get between nine to 13 people coming out to the jams from the youngest at 15 to retired aged people.
“ I feel like it’s a good start,” she said.
She enjoys meeting people who hare her love for the ukulele.
“It’s so much fun to hear all of these ukulele players. It’s really nice,” said McTrowe, who has been playing ukulele for 20 years.
“ I learned how to play in school,” she said.
“There are a range of expressions. You can play rock and roll music or you can also play sadder, darker music. It’s so wonderful to hear everybody playing ukulele together,” she said.
The next ukulele jam is at CASA from 2-3 p.m., June 14.
